The invention relates to integrating digital data with perceptible signals.
In copending and commonly assigned patent application filed by K. G. August et al. and entitled xe2x80x9cSystem And Method For Wireless Capture Of Encoded Data Transmitted With A Television, Video Or Audio Signal And Subsequent Initiation Of A Transaction Using Such Data,xe2x80x9d filed Nov. 15, 1994 as application Ser. No. 08/339,538, now abandoned, a portable capture device is used to capture in a wireless manner encoded non-discernable data from a light emitting device such as a television or other video or audio output device. The capture device uses the captured data to initiate a transaction, such as placing a telephone call and transmitting a message to a remote agent or automated attendant, and delivering the data to a point-of-sale agent directly or indirectly via a telecommunication connection.
This data is part of the ordinary program displayed by the device and yet non-discernible by a viewer or listener. As an example, a television monitor may be located in a kiosk or other public area, and display the advertising of selected services and products. The non-discernible data may be information needed to order those services or products, including prices, delivery intervals, shipping details, coupon offers, and other related information.
Capture can be effected by decoding non-discernibly modulated video broadcast signals, in a manner suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,031, issued on Feb. 21, 1989, to R. S. Broughton, et al., the teachings which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Encoding, transmission and decoding of non-discernable data may be accomplished as described U.S. Pat. No. 5,663,766, xe2x80x9cSystem and Method for Encoding Digital Information in Television Signalxe2x80x9d to T. Sizer, which is incorporated herein by reference.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,295, issued Oct. 29, 1996, entitled xe2x80x9cSystem and Method of Capturing Encoded Data Transmitted Over a Communications Network in a Video Systemxe2x80x9d filed on behalf of Isenberg and Tuomenoksa and (hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety), non-discernable information can be encoded in a television program, captured in a xe2x80x9cset top boxxe2x80x9d, and thereafter used to make telephone calls. The set top box is an electrical device that is xe2x80x9chard-wiredxe2x80x9d directly in the circuit between the video services network and the television set (as a stand alone unit or alternatively as part of the television set itself) and thus, unfortunately, is not portable. Also, the set top box is dedicated to one particular television (or other video source) and thus cannot be shared among several sources. Finally, the user of the set top box may be uncertain as to the nature of the information captured therein.
A data stream may be encoded onto the acoustical signal of a video program, and received at a detector that filters the data from the human room sounds and the acoustical signal by means of a high-pass filter, as disclosed in copending patent application Ser. No. 08/844,047, xe2x80x9cApparatus and Method for Initiating a Transaction Having Acoustic Data Receiver that Filters Human Voice,xe2x80x9d by K. G. August et al. This application is incorporated herein by reference.
The above disclosures provide a system and method for initiating a transaction using the wireless capture of information obtained from a video/audio device, and for benefit of this invention, more particularly from an audio device such as a radio in a car or home premises. The wireless capture device acts as an acoustic data link where encoded data is transmitted from a source to the wireless capture device using sound waves. The wireless capture device includes a microphone for capturing the sound waves.
In general, in one aspect, the invention features a method that includes the steps of modulating a data stream onto a signal representing program material for human perception, the modulating using a spread spectrum encoding of the data stream; transducing the signal into perceptible form; capturing the perceptible signal and transducing it into an electromagnetic form; and extracting a data stream from the received signal, the extracting using a spread spectrum decoding.
In a second aspect, the invention features a method for distributing information. A data stream is modulated onto a perceptible signal using an encoding that leaves the data stream non-discernable, and a device monitors the perceptible signal. The device extracts the data stream from the perceptible signal, and stores it for future use.
Embodiments of the invention may provide one or more of the following advantages. An acoustic data capture device can be used in the presence of human voices without compromising the privacy of the human speaker or speakers. When a microphone is an integral part of a wireless capture device, a storage device of the capture device can store the transaction data, while a display, such as an LCD screen, can display at least a portion of the transaction data to a user. The transaction data also can include dialing information for originating a telephone call. The transaction data can also include descriptive information about an advertisement or solicitation that is associated with the audio signal. The capture device can include a portable phone. Means for originating a telephone call can be contained in a personal base station. Transaction data is transferred to the portable base station, which processes the data and originates a telephone call.